Graham Linehan arrested at Heathrow over social media posts on trans issues

Graham Linehan, the controversial co-creator of Father Ted, has been arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence through social media posts concerning trans people.

The 57-year-old Irish comedy writer was detained by five officers upon arrival from Arizona on Monday afternoon. According to Linehan, he was escorted to a private area and informed that he was under arrest for three posts made on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in April.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his fifties was arrested at 1pm on suspicion of inciting violence. While they did not officially name Linehan, they stated that the arrest was related to posts on X and that the man was taken to hospital due to concerns over his health. His condition was described as “neither life-threatening nor life-changing,” and he has since been bailed pending further investigation.

Linehan described the experience on his blog, claiming he was “arrested at an airport like a terrorist” and that the stress of the situation caused his blood pressure to reach “stroke territory.” He was held in a cell, questioned about the posts, and later taken to A&E for medical observation.

The posts in question included one urging people to “call the cops” on trans-identifying individuals and, “if all else fails, punch him in the balls.” Another featured a photo of a protest with LGBTQ+ flags captioned “A photo you can smell,” and a third expressed hatred toward trans activists, calling them “misogynists and homophobes”.

Linehan has long been a vocal critic of trans activism and is facing separate legal proceedings. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday over charges of harassment and criminal damage involving trans activist Sophia Brooks. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

His bail conditions include a ban from using the X platform, which he described as “a legal gag order designed to shut me up while I’m in the UK.”